The first-place artwork from Crest View Elementary School’s Kindergarten Enrichment class in Boulder. A photo of the artwork will hitch a ride to Mars on the MAVEN spacecraft. (Photo: University of Colorado and BVSD)

For a group of elementary school children in Boulder, some of the most important items to take on a journey to Mars include everything from a megalodon shark to the Statue of Liberty.

And now, in theory, and thanks to the University of Colorado’s MAVEN spacecraft, these items will make the long trip to the Red Planet.

For their winning entry, the students worked in pairs to create models of Mars and attached items they deemed a must-have for an expedition to Mars.

“I’m taking the Statue of Liberty so all the astronauts who are coming with me will know when we arrive,” said Magnolia, one of the winning Crest View kindergarteners.

Her partner, Jack, said he would bring an American Flag.

“Every ‘place’ needs a flag like Neil Armstrong brought one to the Moon. I’d stick it right into the red dust,” he said.

A photo of the student’s first-place artwork will serve as the label of a DVD containing images of all contest entries. The label will be visible on the outside of the spacecraft as it makes its way to Mars.

Of the 377 entries received and nearly 82,000 total votes from all over the world, Crest View’s entry won with 9,496 votes. A second-grade student from Tamil Nadu, India, took second place.

MAVEN, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission[2], is scheduled to launch Nov. 18, 2013, arriving at Mars on Sept. 22, 2014. The spacecraft will examine the planet’s climate history and study how much of the Martian atmosphere has been lost over time.